Seat with resiliently supported arm



April 21, 1953 F. BUCK SEAT wrm RESILIENTLY SUPPORTED ARM Original Filed De'c. 14, 1942 Patented Apr. 21, 1953 metal-ruck. nor-man ra, 1111,, assignor to Inter-=- natfonaIHarvesterCompanmta corporationof Newnfersey Gantiiruatiom ot'appiicatiom Serial; not 468,900,, December 114,0 19.42.- This application January;

jrhisfinvention; relates: toa seat and more particularly toa: seat" for vehicles or the like: application is, a continuation of my cope'nding application, Serial No. 4681900; filed December 14; I942; for 'Seat. c

j The. invention has for its principal object the provision of an" improved resiliently supported seatinoorporating therein means for varying the rateof the-spring that serves as the resilient means; thereby providing a low spring rate for the? normal riding and. a. higher spring rate to prevent bouncing of the seat when the vehicie; strikes a bump; v 7

' Kn important: objf 'ect'is to provide cam means between the seat and" its? for; providing a. plurality of fulcrum pointsat varyingdi'stances" from the: connection between the seat and the resilient supporting means. 7

Another object to provide a. seat'having an improved supporting. means:- mounting the seat for lateral swinging between different positions. v And another object is to arrange the means for: swinging the seat in conjunction withjthe spring-rateevarying means so "that the latter means may functioninei'ther oftwo positions" of the seat.

Further objects and desirable features of the invention may be had from the following detailed description and accompanying sheet of drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a seat embodying one form of the invention;

Figure 2 is a similar view embodying a modification of the invention;

Figure 3 is a similar view embodying a further modification of the invention; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged end view of the seat support and seat arm, as shown in Figure 1.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure '1, the numeral l indicates a base portion, which may be part of a vehicle or the like in which the seat structure is utilized. The base I0 carries a support I I, which as shown in Figure ris U-shaped in cross-section with the bight 12 of ,the U disposed at the top of the support and with the legs l3 of the U secured by bolts l4 to the base portion l0.

The supporting means I l carries a seat structure including a seat I5 and a seat-carrying arm IS. The forward portion of the arm is shaped to provide an arcuate portion 11, and this portion is provided with a vertical opening or bore l8. A guide stud I9 is rigidly secured to and forms part of the portion l2 of the support and depends between the legs of the support through a Claimsi (o1. rte-arr the opening fit in the forward portion of the seat arm f6. The mounting portion of the is preferably tapered and forms a relatively loose fit? withthe seat arm [6: The forward portion of the seat arm; which as best shown in Figure I is channel. shaped cross-section, carries: a strip; 20 having an arcuate shape conforming to the curavture of the seat arm. The H carries at a lower portion thereof an. inverted lJ-shap'ed bracket 2 I' having a transverse lower portion 22 upon which issupported a. vertically disposed compression spring 23'. The end of the-spring engages the under" surface of the arcuate strip 21] that is carried by the forward portion of the seat arm- It: The seat-and arm are thus mounted for oscillating or rocking movement'witi'r respect to thesupportjhis movement being 'yieldably'resi'sted bythe spring: 23'. The relationship between the arcuate surface if of the seat arm F6" and the upper portion F? of the support II is such as to: providerocki'ngj of the seat arm with respect firthe support over a. relatively great" extent of the curved. contact surfaee'provi dedby the portion i 'Tr As -the seatarnr is deflectedvertically, 'the-eontact-between* the portion ll of the seat arm and the portion 12 of the support varies longitudinally of the arm, with the result that the distance between the line of compression of the spring 23 and the contact point or fulcrum between the arm and support is varied.

In the position of the parts shown in Figure 1, the distance between the spring and fulcrmn point is relatively less than the distance between the spring and another fulcrum point as the arm I6 is deflected downwardly. Thus, the leverage obtainable between the seat arm and the support is variable according to the compression or extension of the spring 23, this resulting in varying of the spring load.

The modification shown in Figure 2 is structurally and functionally substantially identical to that shown in Figure 1, and accordingly, corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters. However, in the case of the structure shown in Figure 2, the compression spring 23 is replaced by a torsion spring 24, which is carried on a transverse pin 25 and having one end engaged by a second transverse pin 26 and its other end engaging the under portion of the seat arm I6 through the medium of the arcuate strip 20 carried between the sides of the seat arm channel.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 3, the base portion In carries a support or supporting means 28 having an upper arcuate portion providing a curved contact surface 29. The support includes a vertical rod 3| extending upwardly through a vertical bore 30 in support 28 and arm 34. The vertical guide rod 3| is surrounded by a compression spring 32. The upper end of the rod is threaded and carries a washer and nut 33 that may be adjusted to vary the compression of the spring 32. nut 33 thus constitute a part of the supporting means against which one end of theispring 32 may react or abut. The other end of the spring 32 bears or abuts against the upper surface of a rigid seat arm 34. other end of the seat arm.

The washer and r A seat 35 is carried at the The functioning of the structure just described is very similar to that set forth for the struc-'- tures in Figures 1 and 2, the seat arm 34 being rockable over the curved contact surface 29 to vary the distance between the spring 32 and the fulcrum point between the arm 34 and support 28 and thus to vary the load on the spring 32.

In this instance, however, the mounting of the.

surface 29 being cooperable with the seat arm 34 to provide substantially similar results as respects the varying of the spring load.

, Further features of the construction and operation of the various modifications of the invention illustrated will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. It will be understood, of course, that the modifications illustrated are only representative of the principles of the invention, and-it is, accordingly, not intended that the disclosure limit the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A seat: comprising a support; a seat structure, including an arm; means mounting the arm on the support for oscillating movement, resilient 4 means carried by the support and arranged to resist oscillation of the arm, a cam surface carried by the arm and extending along the length thereof and providing a plurality of fulcrum points for the arm on the support at increasing distances from the resilientv means as an increasing load is appliedon the seat, whereby the mechanical advantage of the resilient means is increased relative to the load on the seat.

2. A seat structure comprising a rigid arm extending in a horizontal direction, an operator's seat at one end of said arm, whereby the weight 7 of an'op'erator tends to swing the arm downwardly at 'the seat end, a supporting means having a contact portion, said rigid arm at its end opv posite the seat having a contact portion adapted to engage the contact portion of the supporting means, said arm contact portion having a curved surface extending along the length thereof, whereby rocking movement of the rigid arm with respect to the supporting means when said contact portions are engaged provides a moving fulcrum, said rigid armhaving an opening at the supporting means end, said supporting means including a fixed guide element extending loosely through said arm opening whereby said rigid arm is'held against substantial lateral and fore and'aft shifting relative to the supporting means during rocking movement with respect thereto, and resilient means positioned to abut the supporting means and to abut the rigid arm at a location spaced from the fulcrum in a direction lengthwise of the rigid arm and to exert pressure against said arm to develop a torque reaction around the fulcrum to counterbalance the operators weight on the seat.

, FOSTER BUCK.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,411,372 Olson et" a1. Apr. 4, 1922 1,864,282 Sperry June 21, 1932 72,136,198 Stam Nov; 8, 1938 

